One of the Ashanti villages I visited last month was called Wonoo. Some of the community are local Ashantis, but others are settlers who came south because climate change was making it nearly impossible to scratch a living in Northern Ghana or Burkino Faso.
They told us they were from the Dagumba, Fra-Fra, Dagati, Fulanji, Gunja and Mossi tribes. They are collectively called ‘Zongos,’ and they have their own line of authority. A village Zongo Chief will report to an area Zongo chief. Not sure how far up the chain goes.
Most of the Zongos are Muslim, but some are Christian and others follow traditional religions, led by people including the guy in the bottom photo. (Sorry, can’t persuade the photos to turn the right way up.) They all live peacefully together, regardless of ethnicity or religious beliefs. Why can’t we take a leaf out of their book.
